Warboys man who posed as a carpet fitter handed community order for stealing cash

A Warboys man who posed as a carpet fitter and stole cash from a house in Cambridge has been sentenced.

Ricardo Rea, 37, turned up at the house in Carlton Way on 6 February last year to fit carpets on behalf of Carpetright, despite being sacked two years previous after clients claimed he was stealing from them.

Rea, who was working alongside a relative still employed by the company, snuck into two bedrooms and stole £350 and €310 in cash.

Suspicions were raised later that day when the homeowner noticed the cash was missing, and were confirmed when the €310 was missing from another bedroom. The victims contacted Carpetright who paid them back in full and an investigation was launched.

Forensic officers lifted Rea’s fingerprints from a money tin where the cash had been stowed. He was arrested on 10 May and admitted to stealing the money.

Rea, of High Street, Warboys, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court today (18 January) after pleading guilty to theft. He was handed a two-year community order and must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

DC Paul Evans said: “Rea was already serving a suspended sentence after he was convicted of burglary offences in 2017.

“He made a dishonest living by stealing from the clients of a company he shouldn’t have been working for.”